RIM paid developers $100 per approved app and those who had several submissions accepted received an additional cash prize and a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device.

The manufacturer is expected to lift the lid on two new phones at the end of the month, codenamed the L and N series, one being a touch-screen device and the other sporting RIM's trademark physical keyboard.

BlackBerry 10 is considered by many to be the struggling phone maker's last chance to remain profitable after a year of financial turmoil, sharp sales decline and reputation-damaging outages.

The company claims that 50 global carriers have pledged their support to its upcoming devices, and developer backing appears to be extensive.

The first BlackBerry 10 devices will be available in the UK from January 30.